<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Chemicals + Lockdown + Murdoc by peterisabean</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455392">Chemicals + Lockdown + Murdoc</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterisabean/pseuds/peterisabean'>peterisabean</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>MacGyver (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016) Whump, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Creepy Murdoc (MacGyver TV 2016), Hurt Angus Macgyver (Macgyver 2016), Hurt/Comfort, Protective Jack Dalton (MacGyver 2016), Whump</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:21:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,553</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29455392</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/peterisabean/pseuds/peterisabean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The metal blade shined in the fluorescent lighting as Kevin swiped at Mac. Mac dodged his swings and attempted to land a few punches. He was successful once, hitting Kevin on his left cheek, but Kevin was also successful. He slashed through Mac’s button up under his lab coat, running the knife across his abdomen. </p><p>Or...</p><p>Murdoc breaks into the Phoenix disguised as a lab assistant and attacks Mac in order to steal some sensitive information.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey guys! This is my first Macgyver fic and I'm super excited to share it with you! I greatly appreciate any comments or feedback!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> <strong>Phoenix Foundation</strong></em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <em> <strong>Location classified</strong> </em>
</p><p>Mac furrowed his brow while he stared at the chemical formula in front of him. There was something off with the formula, something that was making the acidic solution less effective than it should’ve been. He had been trying to develop an acid strong enough to erode a titanium-tungsten based metal that was currently being used to line the insides of kevlar vests for phoenix agents, but the stoichiometry must have been wrong. Mac wanted to create the acid just in case the titanium-tungsten metal ended up in the wrong hands, specifically Codex’s hands.</p><p>His phone buzzed and its metallic exterior vibrated on the table, but Mac was too focused on his project at hand to notice. He added the antimony isotope to the sulfur hexafluoride in a large beaker. Once the mixture successfully combined, it revealed a liquid solution. Mac’s previous attempts yielded different degrees of precipitates, but his final attempt was seemingly successful.</p><p>He used a micropipette to add some of the acidic solution onto a sample of the titanium-tungsten metal along with a distilled water solution. The acid quickly reacted with the water solution and eroded through the metal, deeming Mac’s solution a success.</p><p>“Yes finally!” Mac exclaimed. He wiped the sweat off of his brow and went to reach for his phone on the adjacent table when another lab tech walked in.</p><p>Mac recognized him as one of the techs that worked on the lower levels of the Phoenix building. He remembered his name being Kevin, Kyle? Something that started with a k. Mac stood up off of the stool he was sitting on and took off his safety goggles.</p><p>“Hey man, what’s up?” Mac said as he read the name engraved on the lab coat as “Kevin.” Kevin didn’t say a word as he shut the door to Mac’s lab behind him. He only gave a creepy smile that seemed all too familiar to Mac.</p><p>“Can I help you with something?” Mac asked. He slowly backed away from the strange guy as Kevin walked closer to Mac’s lab station. Mac could tell that something was off with this dude, and went to reach for his phone when Kevin suddenly lunged at him.</p><p>He had a knife in his right hand that was about six inches long. The metal blade shined in the fluorescent lighting as Kevin swiped at Mac. Mac dodged his swings and attempted to land a few punches. He was successful once, hitting Kevin on his left cheek, but Kevin was also successful. He slashed through Mac’s button up under his lab coat, running the knife across his abdomen. The cut wasn’t very deep and it was only about two inches long.</p><p>Mac stumbled away from Kevin and clutched his abdomen with his left hand. Blood seeped through his fingers but the pain was masked by the adrenaline. Mac searched for anything that he could use as a weapon in the lab, and grabbed a metal bunsen burner. He swung the bunsen burner at Kevin but he quickly dodged his swing.</p><p>Mac’s reaction time slowed due to his other predominant injury, and Kevin’s fist met Mac’s temple, sending him to the ground. He was disoriented when he hit the cold linoleum tile, and failed to block the knife coming for his left shoulder. Mac gasped at the sudden motion of the knife slicing his flesh, and he suddenly felt the pain from his cut to his stomach and the pounding of his temple simultaneously.</p><p>Kevin kneeled down beside Mac, who was grimacing through the pain. Before Mac could think of a way to overpower the man, he reached his right hand below his neck, and pulled off a synthetic mask that revealed a familiar face.</p><p>“Murdoc…” Mac said under his breath. Murdoc smiled at the mention of his name before digging the blade in Mac’s shoulder once again, this time twisting the metal around.</p><p>Mac screamed in agony and tried to turn away from the source of the pain, but his position on the floor made it impossible. Once Murdoc decided he was done being a sadistic bastard, he pulled the knife out of Mac’s shoulder once again and stood up and wiped the wet blade on his pants.</p><p>“Oh Macgyver, how good it is to finally see you again! You know I’ve missed spending time together. It’s a shame that our last encounter was cut short by your clever little handcuff maneuver.” Murdoc said while looking down at Mac, who was lying on the floor in a small pool of his own crimson blood.</p><p>Mac glared at Murdoc. “W-what do you want Murdoc?” Mac stammered. The pain and blood loss was catching up to him, which made him even more disoriented than before.</p><p>Murdoc walked a few feet over towards the door and picked up a small metal object, most likely a flash drive that fell during their fight, and placed it in his lab coat pocket. He then walked over to Mac’s lab station and carefully poured Mac’s successful acid solution into a smaller vial.</p><p>“Well I thought I would pay you and your friends a visit, mostly because I need to know the location of Cassian’s safe house.” Murdoc answered with a smirk on his face.</p><p>“W-why would we tell you wear Cassian is, it didn’t work out too well the first time no did it?” Mac retorted as intimidating as he could manage though the pain. Murdoc let out a small chuckle.</p><p>“Well you see, I used your buddy Kevin’s clearance and identity to lace the air vents with a little concoction I so graciously whipped up. It won’t kill you all right away, it takes about 18 hours to take effect, but it is highly contagious and untreatable without the antidote.” Murdoc explained. “But! I happen to have the antidote, and I’ll so generously give it to you all once you release Cassian to me, but for now, I programmed the Phoenix to initiate emergency lockdown protocol in about three minutes give or take.”</p><p>Mac scowled at his response but couldn’t make an effort to respond.</p><p>“Be seeing you boy scout.” Murdoc said as he took one final look at Mac on the floor and swiftly headed out of the lab.</p><p>Mac groaned in pain. He knew that his injuries weren’t fatal, but blood loss wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. He rolled onto his right side, which only aggravated the shallow cut on the right lower quadrant of his stomach. He eventually staggered to his feet, leaning on the lab bench for support. He grabbed his phone with his bloody hand and saw a message from Jack.</p><p>“Mattie wants us in the war room in ten. I think we have a new mission.” Jack’s text read. Mac sighed as he slowly walked to the door, jarring his shoulder and abdomen with every step.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. "Speak of the Devil"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>About 10 Minutes Earlier</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>In the War Room</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dalton! I thought I told you to text blondie! Where the hell is he? We have an important mission I need to brief you all on.” Matty said to Jack in her usual stern tone. She, Jack, Bozer, and Riley were all in the war room as instructed by Matty, waiting for the details of their next op.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well Matty I just texted our boy genius a few minutes ago but he’s probably focused on some science experiment down in the labs.” Jack answered. He was standing beside Bozer with his arms crossed. Jack pulled out his phone again to check for a text back from Mac but had no new messages. “He’s probably on his way up now.” Jack added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Matty looked at him and sighed. “Can one of you go down there and get him? We don’t have all day. This is a matter of national security.” Matty stressed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah I know. I’ll go get him.” Jack said while turning to walk out the door. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the familiar blond locks of a certain boy genius.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Found him!” Jack yelled to the group with a smile, but his happy demeanor shifted when he got a closer look at Mac.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac stumbled into the war room with his hand on his abdomen and blood just about everywhere on his shirt and pants. He looked like shit, and a sheen of sweat coated his bruised forehead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mac!” Everyone yelled in unison. Jack rushed over to him and placed an arm under his uninjured shoulder. Mac grimaced at the sudden movement of his injured arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack half carried half dragged Mac over to one of the chairs in the center of the room and sat him down. Riley quickly put pressure with her jacket on the wound in his shoulder which was bleeding more profusely than the one on his stomach. Mac groaned and shut his eyes at the newfound pressure on his left shoulder but Jack ran a hand through his blond hair to sooth him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We need medical in here!” Matty yelled but Mac quickly shook his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“N-no, no medical… he’s going to shut down the Phoenix.” Mac stammered with his strained breathing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bleeding on Mac’s stomach had slowed significantly as well as the wound in his shoulder thanks to Riley’s efforts. Once the pain was bearable enough, Mac opened his eyes and let out a shaky breath of relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mac buddy, what the hell happened? Who’s going to shut down the Phoenix?” Jack asked right as the emergency lockdown alarms sounded. Suddenly, all of the doors and windows were covered by metal sheets, effectively locking everyone in the building. Everyone looked to Matty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what’s going on, but there are only a few people who can activate emergency protocol.” Matty explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mac, who did this to you? What’s going on?” Bozer asked. Mac, whose head was leaned back on the headrest of the chair, looked over to Bozer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was Murdoc. He used a disguise to enter the building, and he took a dangerously strong acid solution that I was working on from the lab. He told me he was here for Cassian but-” Mac sharply exhaled as he attempted to sit up more in the chair. Jack and Bozer carefully hoisted him into a more upright position before he continued his explanation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Murdoc said he put a very contagious, very deadly gas in the air vents, and that it takes 18 hours to take effect. If we don’t bring Cassian to him, he won’t give us all the antidote. And then he initiated lockdown protocol.” Mac finished explaining. Some color returned to his pale face but not enough to put anyone at ease. He still looked terrible and was quite literally covered in blood. However, both wounds nearly stopped bleeding, and Riley’s makeshift bandage on his shoulder seemed to hold up okay.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if on queue, as Mac finished explaining his encounter with Murdoc, the assassin’s face flickered on the large screen in the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speak of the devil.” Riley muttered under her breath as all of their attention was turned to the large screen on the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello Phoenix friends! I see that you found the present I left you! I hope your little boy scout is holding in there okay, I did quite a number on him.” Murdoc said with a nasty smirk plastered across his face. This only made Jack even angrier, and he wanted so badly to shoot Murdoc right in his smug little face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, I assume that Macgyver explained our little situation to all of you, so I think you know what you all have to do now. Bring Cassian from his safe house to the front doors of the Phoenix, I’ll give you your little antidote, and we’ll be on our merry way! How does that sound?” Murdoc explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen up Murdoc, you don’t get to negotiate with us, especially not after nearly killing one of my best agents. So I suggest that you turn yourself in or I’ll come down and hunt you myself.” Matty threatened. Murdoc chuckled at her response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh Matilda, how fun that would be! And as much as I would love to engage in a lovely came of cat and mouse with you, I really only need you to bring me my son. It’s that simple!” Murdoc replied. Matty glared at his stupid face plastered on the screen. Before Jack could give Murdoc a piece of his mind he shut off the video stream and the screen went black.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y'all don’t think he’s serious do you? Did we really just get poisoned with some deadly gas that only a creepy ass assassin has the cure to?” Bozer asked. Everyone turned their attention back towards Mac who was sitting in the chair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I think he’s bluffing, there’s got to be a bigger endgame planned here.” Mac said. Matty and the others looked at him with confusion. He sighed and continued. “Look, the last time Murdoc kidnapped me and demanded I tell him where Cassian was held, he didn’t win. I think he knows that we’ll never tell him where his son is, but I think that he also knows where he can find out.” Mac explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Matty furrowed her brow and motioned for Mac to continue his confusing explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you see the background of Murdoc’s video? I think he’s still in the building on one of the upper floors. When we were fighting in the lab, he dropped a flash drive, but I think that it was an encryption key. I was working on a strong acid solution that would erode through the toughest of metals, like the ones encasing the walls to the digital Phoenix archives.” Mac said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait a minute. So you’re telling us that Murdoc poisoning us is just a ruse to hack into the Phoenix servers because he knows that we’ll never tell him where Cassian is?” Riley asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac nodded. He regretted doing so as the motion sent a shooting pain through his head due to the blow he received from Murdoc. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we know where he’s going, what he’s looking for, and his means of getting that information. Now we just need a plan to make sure none of that happens. If Murdoc gets access to his son’s location, he also gets access to the entire data network of the Phoenix.” Matty reminded everyone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so what’s the game plan? Go up to Murdoc and shoot him? I can live with that.” Jack said while putting his hand over his holster. Mac gave him a look and rolled his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. There’s one varibale that Murdoc left out of the equation. In order for the acid to actually work, you need to combine it with a water based solution that’s still at my lab station, and Murdoc only took the acid.” Mac said. He leaned forward and attempted to stand up out of the chair before Jack’s calloused hands forced him back down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah, woah, woah, where the hell do you think you’re going there hoss?” Jack asked Mac.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have a plan, or the beginning of one at least.” He responded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you plan on sharing this so-called ‘plan’ with the rest of the group here?” Matty asked with her usual side of sass and authority. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If the acid that Murdoc has is exposed to a nitrogenous gas, it will combust. And if I can get close enough to Murdoc and release the gas, it will be enough to incapacitate him. I just have to get the gas from the lab.” Mac said as he held onto his left arm in order to avoid jostling his wounded shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bozer handed him a makeshift sling he was working on made out of part of Riley’s zip up that was previously tied around her waist. Mac silently thanked him and slipped on the sling with the help of Riley’s gentle hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riley, can you access the Phoenix cameras? Murdoc is wearing a disguise, he looks like one of the lab assistants. I think it was Kevin.” Mac asked after he successfully made it to a standing position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean I can try, it might be a little harder due to the lockdown protocol.” Riley responded as she grabbed her laptop from her backpack and sat down in one of the other chairs. Her fingers clacked away on the keyboard until she grinned and looked up to the group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got it!” She exclaimed. The other four of them went over to look at the screen. The cameras showed a man walking down a hall of one of the upper levels of the Phoenix wearing a white lab coat. Mac assumed that Murdoc must have put the face mask back on because when the cameras captured the man’s face, it looked like Kevin. However, there was something that wasn’t sitting right with Mac.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait. Riley, can you zoom in on his pants?” Mac asked out of breath. He was leaning heavily on the armrests of Riley’s chair as the pain from his previous encounter with Murdoc was setting in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I got it.” Riley responded. She zoomed in on his clothes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t make sense. Unless Murdoc changed out of his bloody clothes and found a new wardrobe, this can’t be him. When he attacked me, he was wearing tan pants, not black. I think this is actually Kevin.” Mac informed the group. Murdoc must have changed his disguise in order to make himself invisible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, what are we supposed to do now that we don’t know who Murdoc could be impersonating?” Bozer asked. Silence followed his question and Mac was lost in his own thoughts, trying to find a solution. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What if we retraced his steps via the security cameras to see where Murdoc went last while disguised as Kevin? Then we can figure out where he went.” Riley suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good idea. I’m going to see if we can get anyone from medical in here, but that might be difficult considering that lockdown protocol shuts off most entrances and exits.” Matty said as she stepped away from the crowd hovering over Riley’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac’s face was flushed, and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Jack’s arm that lightly supported Mac’s frame motioned for him to sit down in a chair next to Riley’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you take a seat hoss?” Jack suggested. Mac happily obliged and took a sip of the water bottle that Jack handed him. The cool water felt like heaven against his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite his previous circumstances, Mac felt okay enough to stay conscious. The small slash on his abdomen had already stopped bleeding, his headache was pretty manageable, and his left shoulder was secured in a sling and only lightly throbbed. For all things considering, Mac was functioning pretty well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so I tracked Kevin/Murdoc right before he entered Mac’s lab, and then right after he left with the acid. It looks like Kevin/Murdoc went into an empty room just a few doors down, but I don’t have any eyes in there. But a minute later someone else walked out, I can’t make out a face but I don’t think that Murdoc put on another disguise. He just changed his clothes from what I can tell.” Riley informed them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked up from her laptop at Jack and Bozer. She couldn't quite read their expressions, but she knew that they were worried for Mac. Hell, she was worried for Mac, but his injuries weren’t too severe. However, Riley wanted nothing more than to land a fist right at Murdoc’s face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you try to find where that bastard is now?” Jack asked with his arms folded at his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I can try- wait what the hell?!” Riley exclaimed. Her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion as the live camera feed shut off on her laptop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t access the live camera feed anymore, Murdoc must have found a way to disrupt the signal.” Riley told them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac sighed. “If Murdoc has already disrupted the signal, we know where he is. There’s only one place in the building where you have access to the system mainframe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Phoenix server archives.” Riley and Bozer said in unison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But the problem is, the archives are located in the building somewhere, but the exact location is classified.” Mac said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what are we supposed to do? Who’s clearance level gets them that sensitive information?” Bozer asked. Jack looked out the window of the war room into the hallway and saw Matty who was on her phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I know who.” Jack said before leaving the room and entering the hallway to talk to Matty. After a brief exchange between the two they both headed back through the doorway and into the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay guys listen up.” Matty said sternly. “This is extremely confidential information, and you have to promise me that you will not say a word to anyone about this alright?” Matty glanced at Jack who threw up his arms in defense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you lookin’ at me for?” Jack asked, but Matty just rolled her eyes and continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Phoenix server archives are located on the top floor of the building in room 7QF-C, and they’re hidden behind a false wall at the very end of the room. The code for the pin pad is 764391, and if Murdoc is planning to use that acid to break through the metal walls, you need to stop him because then he’ll have access to every single mission since before DXS even existed.” Matty stressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes ma’am.” Jack replied. They all looked to Mac for the next steps to the plan he was running in his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so there are a few obstacles we have to figure out how to get past. For starters, the doors to the stairs are locked with a strong magnet, but I think we can get past them if I can find something to heat them up with. The second thing is to counteract the acid that Murdoc stole. We need to go to my lab and get the nitrogenous gas, then we have everything we need to stop Murdoc and keep the digital archives safe.” Mac explained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The plan seemed simple enough, but knowing Mac and Jack’s track record, something always went awry in their missions. Something that bothered Jack was that Mac wasn’t exactly in the best condition to conduct a mission, but he knew that if it came down to it, Jack would do whatever it takes to keep his kid safe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mac, how are you feeling? I can’t get a hold of medical, they’re locked in.” Matty asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone knew that Mac has the tendency to not exactly tell the truth when it came to his own well-being, but given the sensitive nature of the situation at hand Mac knew that he had to be honest with his team.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I’m okay. Besides my left shoulder, I’m completely mobile and good to go. I promise.” Mac replied. Jack studied his face and could tell that Mac meant what he said. Although the extensive amount of blood on his clothes and the bruise starting to form on his cheek said otherwise, Jack knew that Mac could do this.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay then hoss, let’s go kick some Murdoc ass.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. "What's the flamethrower for?"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Phoenix Foundation</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Phoenix Sever Archive Room - Ten Minutes Later</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Murdoc couldn’t help the grin that was plastered on his face. His day couldn’t have gone any better. Not only did he get the chance to banter with his favorite blond boy scout, but he also had the pleasure of inflicting pain on Macgyver. His plan was beautifully executed so far, and Murdoc was giddy at the thought of his final endgame. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew that Macgyver and his team were smart, but not even they could have seen through his elaborate plan. Murdoc chuckled at the thought of Matilda and her agents frantically trying to figure out how to stop the “poisonous gas” without revealing Cassian’s location to him. What they didn’t know, or at least Murdoc thought, was that his mission didn’t really have anything to do with his son. His son’s location was just a happy byproduct of his heist. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Murdoc’s main endgame was to hack the digital archives and plant an invisible bug that not even Matilda Webber could detect, so that every time new information was uploaded to the servers, Murdoc would be the first to know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This would be a huge advantage to Murdoc and other enemies that the Phoenix made over the years. Not only could Murdoc use this information as blackmail to the Phoenix, but also to his other associates who wanted classified details on certain agents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Murdoc made it to the server archive room, but the only obstacle in his way was the titanium-tungsten metal that not only encased the false wall in front of the servers, but also the keypad on the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, as with every assignment that Murdoc took on, he came prepared. He took out the vial of acid he stole from Macgyver’s lab, and prepared to dispense it over the keypad, in hopes of successfully deactivating the lock.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>About 10 Minutes Earlier</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>In the War Room</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay Dalton, you and Macgyver need to go to his lab and get the gas that will deactivate the acid that Murdoc stole. Bozer, I need you and Riley to stay here and try to figure out how to deactivate lockdown protocol, and reach out to Cassian’s safe house and tell the agents there that his location has been compromised. We can’t take any unnecessary risks here.” Matty directed her agents. They all nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack checked the status of his gun and grinned as he reholsterd his weapon. Mac adjusted his makeshift sling and gave Jack a nod. Mac felt pretty decent, all things considering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Be careful.” Matty told them as the pair headed out the door of the war room. Mac’s lab was only a few doors down the hallway and the two made it there swiftly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Upon entering the room, Jack was taken aback by the sight in front of him. It looked like a goddamn crime scene. There was blood all over the white linoleum floor, and it was smeared in places where Jack could tell Mac forced himself to stand up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn.” Jack muttered under his breath. Mac could sense Jack’s uneasiness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that bad Jack, I promise.” Mac reassured him. Jack had the tendency to worry too much about his partner, and in this case it looked worse than it actually was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so where is this fancy nitro gas of yours?” Jack asked. Mac was knelt down on the floor looking into a cupboard below his lab station.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s nitrogen gas and I have it right here.” Mac replied as he stood up holding a metal canister in his right hand and a small flamethrower tucked into the sling on his left side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the flamethrower for?” Jack asked. He knew that Mac always had a different approach to difficult situations, so the flamethrower wasn’t the most obscure thing Mac had ever used. However, if Jack was going to be set on fire or something, he’d sure like to know about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s for the doors to the stairs, their locks are powered by a strong magnet and if I can heat them to a certain temperature, they’ll deactivate. We’ll only need it if Riley can’t deactivate the lockdown protocols in time.” Mac told him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you say hoss.” Jack replied. Jack peeked his head out of the room into the hallway to make sure it was secure. The hallway was empty and was dimly lit by red emergency lights. Jack gave Mac a nod.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, let’s go.” Mac said. The pair walked down the hallway to the set of stairs at the end. Just as Mac predicted, the door to the stairs used a magnetic locking mechanism. Mac set the canister of gas down on the floor and let out a small grunt as the movement jostled his injured shoulder. He then handed Jack the flamethrower.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why am I the one who has to risk being set on fire?” Jack whined as he took the metal object. Mac rolled his eyes and adjusted the knob of the flamethrower in Jack’s hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I would do it myself, but I can’t use two hands because of my shoulder. All you need to do is click the latch at the top and aim it at the crack in the door. It should deactivate the magnet in a few seconds.” Mac explained to Jack. His partner sighed and held the flamethrower closer to the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like this?” Jack asked tentatively. Mac nodded and signalled Jack to press the latch. He followed Mac’s instructions and the hallway was lit up by the bright flame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Almost there!” Mac yelled over the loud sound of the flame. They heard a loud crack in the door as the lock deactivated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bingo!” Jack yelled as he high fived Mac’s right hand and handed him the flamethrower. Mac bent down and picked up the nitrogen gas canister and the two headed through the door and up the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac was winded by the time he and Jack climbed five flights of stairs. He leaned into the cool metal railing and closed his eyes for a second. His headache crept through the back of his skull and the pain in his shoulder sent a dull throb throughout his entire body. Mac wished he was sitting around the fire at his house with his friends, laughing and having a cold beer. But instead, he was injured, and fighting the man who had a creepy obsession with him for some ungodly reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You good hoss?” Jack asked Mac after he saw him leaning heavily on the railing of the stairs. Mac quickly regained his composure and wiped the sweat forming on his brow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go.” Mac responded as the two of them exited the stairs and entered the hallway of the top floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack did another quick surveillance sweep of the hallway and deemed it safe to enter with a swift nod. The pair entered the eerie hallway and walked cautiously towards their intended destination. Mac would rather be safe than sorry, and knowing Murdoc, the probability of a boobie trap or some alternative diversion was quite high. Jack had his weapon drawn, and the two reached the end of the hallway successfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The marker on the door read “7QF-C” just as Matty told them. However, it was slightly ajar, and Jack and Mac could hear the sounds of another being inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack looked back at Mac before pushing the door wide open and bursting into the room, guns a-blazing. They saw Murdoc with the vial of acid in his hand, ready to pour it over the keypad to the false wall.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you guys liked this chapter! I'm currently writing chapter four in the car on a six hour car ride.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. "Not so fast boy scout"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Room 7QF-C</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Present Time</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s over Murdoc, put your hands up and drop the vial!” Jack yelled. Murdoc didn’t seem too surprised by their entrance and let out a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well look what we have here. I gotta hand it to you guys, I really didn’t think you would figure out my plan, and Macgyver, I really am surprised to see you standing upright. How’s that shoulder of yours doing? I thought it was fitting to hit the same place twice, the bullet from the first time really didn’t seal the deal for me.” Murdoc said with his usual sadistic grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack was fuming over Murdoc’s taunts and it made the grip on his gun even tighter, but he knew that they had the upper hand in the situation. It was simple math, two against one, even in Mac’s condition, he could still put up a hell of a fight, and his brain was the real weapon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t get out of this one this time Murdoc. Hand over the vial and the hard drive.” Mac demanded. He was still clutching the can of gas in his right hand and the flamethrower in his left-slinged hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not so fast boy scout. I haven’t even given you my ‘evil villian plan’ speech yet! Don’t you want to know my ultimate endgame?” Murdoc questioned, still clutching the acid in his black gloved hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack still had his gun trained on Murdoc, and he wanted nothing but to shoot him in his smug face. For everything he’s put the team through, hell, for everything he’s put Mac through the past few years, Murdoc deserved a fate worse than hell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We already know your plan, and I’m this close to putting a bullet in your brain if you don’t surrender.” Jack countered. Murdoc let out another sigh and dropped his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your plan is faulty anyway, the acid doesn’t even work if you don’t add a water-based solution.” Mac stated. He wondered how someone as diligent and well-prepared as Murdoc could forget such a crucial detail. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Murdoc chuckled. “Oh Macgyver, you really shouldn’t underestimate me. Just because I’m not some MIT scientist like you, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have other associates in that field.” Murdoc explained.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack was inching towards Murdoc with his gun drawn when it finally clicked in his head. Murdoc’s finger flipped open the acid vial and he had another vial of solution concealed in his left hand. He was going to mix the two and use it as a weapon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jack stop!” Mac yelled as he dove for his partner and knocked him on the ground. Just as he moved Jack out of the way, Murdoc released the chemical mixture at Jack, just barely missing his head. The mixture sizzled on the floor behind Mac and Jack, who were laying on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack quickly got up and frantically looked for Murdoc. The acid solution released a white smoke that filled the room, making it hard to see anything. He coughed as he inhaled the gas. Jack didn’t see Murdoc anywhere in the room, he deducted that he must have escaped during his distraction. As much as Jack would have liked to physically harm Murdoc, he had his partner to worry about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac was still lying on the ground. His eyes were tightly shut and he grimaced in pain. He was clutching his left arm with the stab wound in his shoulder that reopened and was freely bleeding. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack quickly knelt down to assess his Mac’s physical state. He seemed unharmed by the acid that Murdoc threw at them, and there were no new injuries that Jack could see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay Mac? C’mon talk to me brother.” Jack said. Mac opened his eyes and despite the smoke Jack could see his face illuminated but the dim, red lighting of the room. Mac groaned as he sat up with the help of Jack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“G-go, after Murdoc.” Mac stuttered. His surroundings and vision were returning to him slowly but the throbbing in his head remained constant. Great, just what he needed. Another concussion on top of his previous one. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not without you brother. We’re a team. Do you think you can stand?” Jack asked. Mac nodded as his partner helped him up. Mac took a few staggering steps but quickly regained his balance and let go of Jack’s arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The lights flickered on and illuminated the room. Riley and Bozer must have deactivated the lockdown protocols. With that piece of good news, Jack smiled and looked at Mac.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m good, I promise. Now let’s go get this bastard.” Mac said sternly. Jack wasn’t entirely convinced that Mac was fine, but that would have to wait. There was a murderous criminal waltzing around the building that needed to be stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Phoenix Foundation</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Some Random Hallway</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Murdoc swiftly walked through some random hallway in the Phoenix, angrily clutching the silver hard drive in his hand so hard that it would have cracked if he held on any tighter. He was furious, that little blond boy scout and his airhead bodyguard foiled his plans once again. He couldn't catch a break. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dim red lighting changed to white and fluorescent when the sound of electricity crackled back to life. Their little computer rat must have broken through the deactivation virus that Murdoc had one of his associates set up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This caused Murdoc to walk even faster through the hallways. Although his initial plan was ruined, he always had a backup, and he adopted a new knack for improvising. It was a little something he picked up from his time with Macgyver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made it to the stairs and took two at a time in order to make it down several flights of stairs to the basement. Once Murdoc made it to the base level, he burst through the door into the electrical room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Although Macgyver called his bluff about planting a poisonous gas in the air vents, he wasn’t entirely lying. Murdoc stashed a few canisters of tear gas behind a wall of wires and quickly grabbed the metal canisters. He set them up by the air vents and activated the wireless release, so that he could release the gas when he was out of range. The last thing he wanted on his failed heist was to tear gas himself in the process. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His initial plan to plant a bug in Phoenix’s system was a complete disaster, but Murdoc was still determined to make sure that his efforts weren’t a complete disaster. What Macgyver and his little entourage weren’t aware of is that before Murdoc attempted to break the keypad to the archives, he tapped into the computer system with his encryption key, and attained the last known location of his son. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It may sound cold, but in Murdoc’s mind, finding his son wasn't’ the ultimate goal of this mission initially, but when everything else went to shit, he might as well get something out of this mess. Once he finished setting up the tear gas, he headed towards the stairs to find the emergency exit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, before Murdoc could reach the exit, he was met by two familiar faces.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Phoenix Foundation</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Just a Few Minutes Before Murdoc Was in the Basement</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Mac and Jack made their way back to the war room. Mac was a little slower than Jack but they still made good time. Their best bet at catching Murdoc now was with Riley’s help. Hopefully she would be able to spot him on the cameras before he could escape. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riley, Bozer, and Matty looked up when they entered the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell happened to you guys?” Bozer asked. Mac’s already blood-stained shirt had even more blood on it where his stab wound reopened. His hair was a mess and he looked exhausted. Jack didn’t look much better. He too had some blood on his clothes from helping Mac, although luckily none of it was his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Murdoc.” Jack and Mac said in unison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He got away?!” Matty asked. Jack was hesitant to answer because he knew that the answer he had was not the one she was looking for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but-” Jack half answered before he was interrupted by a not so happy Director Webber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>yes’</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Matty asked with her arms folded at her chest. Before Jack could answer, Mac stepped in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Murdoc got away, but he didn’t even make it past the keypad.” Mac explained. The unhappy look on Matty’s face still persisted but she relaxed her posture slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, do we know if he’s still in the building?” Matty asked. Mac and Jack shrugged and Matty looked to Riley.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t find anything on the security camer- wait.” Riley responded. Everyone looked in her direction as she sat in the same chair as before with her eyes focused on the screen in front of her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it Riles? Did you find Murdoc?” Mac asked. He wasn’t really up to dealing with Murdoc again today, but if he had the opportunity to stop him for good, he would take that chance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but I just got a security alert saying that someone broke into the computer system and downloaded a file a few minutes ago.” Riley informed them. Matty sighed and dropped her arms to her sides.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What file was taken?” Matty asked. Riley looked at Matty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cassian’s location.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you guys like this chapter! I think there will be one or two more! As always, feel free to comment any feedback or corrections! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. "Do I Need to Carry You Bridal Style?"</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Phoenix Foundation</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>War Room</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are we gonna do about Cassian? We can’t just let Murdoc take him.” Bozer asked. Jack shrugged and everyone looked to Matty for the answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about Cassian. I called the agents looking after him and they’re moving him as we speak to an undisclosed location. No one besides those two agents and I know where that is.” Matty replied. Now that Cassian was safe, there was only one variable left to take care of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riles, any luck with the security cameras?” Mac asked while fiddling with the small canister of the flamethrower that he forgot he still had. Riley’s fingers were typing away when she suddenly stopped her hands and exhaled in relief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah ha! I caught Murdoc in the cameras on the stairs a few minutes ago, it looks like he’s headed for the basement.” Riley said after turning around her laptop to show the footage from the stairs. It was indeed Murdoc racing down to the basement floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mac? You good to go take care of this bastard once and for all?” Jack asked his partner. Mac held up his right hand in a fist and it met Jack’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know it.” Mac said with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay you two, go fight this son of a bitch.” Matty said with her usual stern tone. Both Jack and Mac nodded as they headed out of the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This time, Mac felt it. The fatigue that was masked by the adrenaline was catching up to him. His head throbbed, the cut on his abdomen pulled every time he took a step, and his left shoulder felt like it was doused in gasoline and set on fire. He’s fought through worse pain than that, but saving Jack from Murdoc’s acid by roughly falling on the ground made everything worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac hoped that his pain didn’t show on his face, although the beads of sweat did. Even walking down the hallway of the Phoenix was a chore, but luckily, he and Jack would be going down the stairs instead of up. Mac wasn’t entirely sure if he could’ve even made it up a flight of stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them quickly reached the door to the stairs that still had black marks from the fire they set to it earlier. Jack swung it open and he and Mac went down the stairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack had his gun drawn when they reached the door to the basement. It was luckily unlocked as Jack lightly pushed it open. He went in first, making sure that Murdoc wasn’t lingering behind a corner or something, waiting to pounce on them like prey. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t see any sign of Murdoc, and he motioned for Mac to come through the door. As Mac entered the basement he immediately felt as if something was off. There was no way that Murdoc just left the building. Knowing him, he always had to go out in style, whatever that meant in Murdoc’s twisted mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac looked around the basement, there were several shelves of old technology and miscellaneous equipment. In the far corner, there was the large metal AC and air vent unit. Mac scanned the entire room and didn’t see anything out of place at first, until a glimpse of a faint, flashing red light caught his eye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tentatively walked over to the AC unit and looked through one of the vents. Mac saw several canisters of what looked like to be tear gas. So, Murdoc had been at least sort of telling the truth about rigging the air vents with gas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Upon further inspection, Mac saw an electronic switch on the sides of the canisters that was most likely a wireless remote designed to release the gas. Before he could get a closer look at the mechanics, he heard a set of footsteps that he didn’t recognize to be Jack’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before his tired and worn out brain had time to process the noise, Murdoc swooped behind Mac and put him into a chokehold. The sudden and swift movement jostled Mac’s injured shoulder, making him release a small yelp of pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Murdoc’s strong arms held Mac in place, and he felt the cold metal of a gun pointed at his side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With all of the commotion Jack quickly reacted to the situation and pointed his gun at Murdoc.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't pull that trigger if I were you, because if you do, your little partner here won’t make it out of this room with his life.” Murdoc teased. The word ‘partner’ rolled off of his tongue in an almost venomous fashion, and it made Jack shutter to see Mac in his position.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now you know I can’t do that Murdoc. C’mon, just release Mac and maybe I won’t put a bullet between your eyes, how does that sound?” Jack retorted. Mac could’ve almost chuckled at his partner’s silly banter if he wasn’t in a strong chokehold with a gun pointed on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac winced as Murdoc tightened his grip around Mac’s throat. Mac tried desperately to claw Murdoc’s arm off of him, but the motion only aggravated his injuries more. He tried to be alert, but the blood loss coupled with a concussion wasn’t doing him any favors. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was when Mac almost lost consciousness that he came up with a plan. He remembered keeping the small flamethrower torch tucked away in the sling on his left arm. Mac looked at Jack, then glanced towards the flamethrower. As if they were able to read each other’s minds, Mac threw the canister of gas up to Murdoc’s face with his good hand and Jack aimed for the metal object. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The distraction caused Murdoc to loosen his grip on Mac slightly, allowing Mac to duck out of the way of the flames. Murdoc yelped as the gas exploded in his face and took a few staggering steps back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack took that opportunity to knock Murdoc down with a solid body slam that incapacitated the assassin. Jack had his gun aimed at his head, and Murdoc put his burnt hands up in surrender. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac slowly made his way over to Jack, and glared down at Murdoc on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh Macgyver, how I wish this would’ve ended differently-” Murdoc started before Jack interrupted him with the cocking of his gun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You say one more word, and I’ll fulfill my promise of that bullet in your brain, you hear me?” Jack asked his stern, southern tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Murdoc rolled his eyes and nodded. Jack turned him over on his stomach and handcuffed his hands behind his back. Mac let out a sigh of relief, he had dealt with this particular criminal too many times to count, and every time was just as draining as the last.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack hoisted Murdoc to his feet, and kept his gun pressed against Murdoc’s back as they walked to the stairs. Mac was slowly trailing behind as the three of them walked up the several flights to the main floor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they made it into the war room, Mac wanted nothing more than to take a nap right then and there, but he knew that Murdoc wasn’t locked in a metal cage just yet. Seeing Riley, Bozer, and Matty’s faces flushed instant relief throughout his body, and upon their arrival, Matty called for two guards to take Murdoc away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be seeing you soon Macgyver!” Murdoc taunted as he was dragged away by two heavily armed guards. Mac was too tired to even acknowledge Murdoc’s lame excuse of a threat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mac’s eyelids felt incredibly heavy as he swayed on his feet. He felt Jack's arm on his back, keeping him upright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah there Mac.” Riley said as she stood up from her seat to check on her friend. Without Jack’s support, Mac would’ve collapsed right then and there. His injuries and obvious fatigue were catching up to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jack, take him down to medical. He looks terrible.” Matty ordered, and Jack happily obliged. He looked over to his partner and took his left arm under Mac’s good shoulder and his other arm around his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes ma’am. You good to walk there Mac? Or do I need to carry you bridal style?” Jack asked playfully. As much as Mac wanted to be humiliated by being carried in Jack’s arms, he would’ve rather endured the pain of walking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m good to walk.” Mac replied. Everyone knew that it was a lie, but they all helped Mac hobble his way down to medical.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Phoenix Foundation</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>A few hours later</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>When Mac regained consciousness, he was lying on a hospital bed dressed in a gown, an all too familiar feeling. He looked around the sterile room and saw Riley curled up in a chair sound asleep, Bozer nodding off in a recliner, and Jack leaning his head against the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jack noticed the movement coming from Mac’s direction and lit up when he saw Mac’s baby blues flutter open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Finally hoss, we’ve only been waiting a few hours for yah!” Jack exclaimed. His loud tone woke up Riley and Bozer, who were equally delighted to see their friend awake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long was I out?” Mac asked as he rubbed his eyes. His headache wasn’t as bad as it was earlier, and the IV in his arm must have been responsible for his lack of pain in his shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you were in surgery for a few hours getting your shoulder patched up, but luckily it was just a flesh wound. They also had to put eight stitches in the cut on your stomach.” Riley told him. Before Mac could respond the group heard the infamous noise of heels clacking on the tiled floors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Matty entered the small room with her usual sorta scary demeanor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mac, I’m glad to see that you’re awake.” Matty said with a smile. Mac smiled back as did the rest of the team.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks Matty. Any update on Murdoc?” Mac asked. He wanted to be sure that Murdoc wouldn’t be bothering him or his friends for a long while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Murdoc is in a maximum level security prison, and Cassian was safely relocated without any problems. Good job, all of you.” Matty responded. A wave of relief washed over the entire room. Jack walked closer to Mac’s bed and put a hand on his good shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you say we go back to your place, sit around the fire with a few beers, and have a good time after you’re discharged?” Jack asked. Mac lit up at the idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that sounds great!” Bozer replied enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Count me in, once I, you know, get out of this hospital gown.” Mac said with a smile and a light chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone was relieved that their terrible day was over, and that all they had left to worry about was who was bringing the beers over to Mac’s place.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that's a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed this story and I'll definitely be writing more Macgyver fics in the future! This was so fun to write and please comment any fic ideas/requests/feedback you would like! Again, thank you guys so so much for all of your support!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>